A Cruise Ship on Land

Maple Knoll Village isn't your grandmother's retirement home.

Describing Maple Knoll Village as a "cruise
ship on land" might not be the comparison that comes to mind for many,
but it suits Becky Schulte, Maple Knoll Village director of
communications, just fine.

"I'm on a one-person
crusade to change people's views," she says. "It's not just a nursing
home. The health care is there if you need it, but it's just one small
piece of the community."

As a retirement
community Maple Knoll is a far cry from old perceptions of senior
living. The facilities that most remember probably didn't have tai chi
water classes, warm water pools, pubs with big screen TVs, poker games,
planned trips and a concierge . . . let alone four social directors,
including one just for the assisted living community.

"In
most people's minds, they remember grandma's nursing home," Schulte
says. "And we do have that. But the reason you should come here is that
this retirement community takes care of all the things that aren't fun
in life like security, housekeeping, lawn care. You can push all that
aside here. Let us worry about the furnace."

Instead
of fretting about those details you can be busy planning outings,
exercising, going to classes and discovering new hobbies and
friendships.

"We can keep you busy morning till
night if you participate in everything," Schulte says. "It's not a
place you come and just sit. It's an active community for people who
enjoy life."â–